LeBron James tweets worth about $140K, digital advertisers say

CLEVELAND, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- In an age when businesses are trying to come up with every possible idea to earn revenues in digital media, the accounts of celebrities are becoming a gold mine.

The bigger the celebrity, the more his or her Twitter or Facebook account is worth when marketing is involved.

For example, Opendorse, a company that specializes in digital and social media advertising, says one single tweet from LeBron James holds the highest value of any American athlete -- nearly $140,000.

That's just about $1,000 per character in a standard 140-character tweet.

Why is James' Twitter account so valuable? Experts say it's because he is one of the most visible and popular athletes in the world -- and he has more than 23 million followers.

In other words, his consumer reach is incredible.

"It would cost you five times more to reach that many people with a TV ad," Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star, Opendorse says, is the athlete with the highest digital media value. The runner up, fellow NBA star Kevin Durant, commands only $66,553 per tweet.

Rounding out the company's top five are Lakers star Kobe Bryant (tweets worth $42,389), boxer Floyd Mayweather ($34,924) and Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard ($34,290).

However, in the case of James, the league's biggest star hardly needs the money. Lawrence said he recently offered James a one-tweet six-figure deal -- which the basketball star declined.